If you are using 8-ohm speakers, 16 AWG wire is recommended for runs up to 48 feet and 10 or 12AWG wire for runs up to 200 feet. For 6-ohm speakers 16AWG wire is recommended for runs up to 36 feet and 10 or 12AWG wire for runs up to 150 feet. With 4-ohm speakers you can run up to 24 feet on 16AWG wire and for runs up to 100 feet, 10 or 12AWG wire is recommended. The rule of thumb for speaker wire length is: Buy at least a little bit more than your estimate. You can use this distance to determine the wire gauge necessary to get peak performance out of your speakers. This will give you very close to an exact distance and it works whether your speakers are indoors or outdoors. The easiest way to measure the distance of your cable run is to simply take a string from the source to your speakers. The length of the cable will also impact the gauge of wire you need to get an optimal performance out of your speaker. To get peak performance out of 4-ohm and 6-ohm speakers you’ll need more expensive 12AWG wire. 8-ohm and 16-ohm speakers will work perfectly fine with 16AWG wire.
However, thicker speaker wire is also more expensive, so if you don’t have an audiophile’s ear it may not be necessary.įor an average listener, you may be able to get by with thinner wire depending on the impedance of your speakers. This means that a thicker wire will generally give a clearer signal to the speaker. So, what does the thickness of the cabling matter for speakers? To put it simply, the thicker the wire is, the easier electricity can flow through that wire. 12AWG is the thickest wire and 18AWG is the thinnest. Typical speaker wires come in 12AWG, 14AWG, 16AWG, or 18AWG options. The lower this number is, the thicker the wire is. Wire gauge refers to the thickness of the cable based on the American Wire Gauge (AWG) metric. Choosing The Right Speaker Wire Gaugeīefore we can discuss what gauge wire is appropriate for your speakers, you first need to understand what wire gauge even is.
It is a lot of information to go through, but everything can be broken down into simple terms so you’ll know exactly which options are best for your circumstances. You need to consider the proper gauge that will deliver the best sound quality, how long of cabling you need, which type of cable you need, and what type of connectors are required by your speakers. Figuring out the best speaker wires can be a daunting task, especially for first time installers.
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